love by the lake
by honestlydarkprincess
Summary: When Clarke had agreed to spend the weekend at Lincoln's family cabin with the gang, she hadn't really considered the fact she would have to spend time with the man she was in love with, who also happened to have a girlfriend. Much less share a room with him. Can Clarke spend the weekend with Bellamy without messing everything up? - Modern AU. Full Summary Inside.


Full Summary:

 _Clarke's been avoiding Bellamy for months. When she had finally summoned the courage to admit her feelings to him, she found out about his new girlfriend- Echo, and she hasn't seen him since that night._

 _Initially, when she'd agreed to a weekend up at Lincoln's family cabin by the lake, she hadn't considered the fact she was going to have to be in close quarters with Bellamy for an entire weekend. To make matters worse, they have to share a room._

 _It's possible to share a room with the guy you're in love with but who's taken for a weekend without messing things up, right?_

* * *

 **THIS BITCH IS BACK!**

 **Hey guys!**

 **My first year(?) (is it considered a year? it was the fall and spring semester lmao) of uni was interesting. Working and going to school is killer. But I had fun and made new friends so all the tears and missed hours of sleep were worth it. I'm off till September from school though so I'm really hoping to get a lot of fics written in between my shifts at work. I'm not going to promise anything because I always end up breaking the here's to hoping!**

 **I started this like almost a year ago and have finally gotten around to finishing it. I wonder if this is the starting point of a summer full of finished projects? Probably not but it's nice to dream.**

 **Anyway, here's some bellarke modern AU fluff! I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

"I'm just saying, why do Bellamy and I have to share a room?" Clarke asked exasperatedly, folding her arms over her chest.

"I'm sorry, Clarke, but that's how it worked out. You and Bellamy are the only single ones coming this weekend and all the rooms we have each have one bed that fits two," Octavia explained calmly. This wasn't the first time she and Clarke had had this conversation and she wasn't all that sure that it would be the last.

When Clarke had originally said yes to going camping— if what they were doing could be considered camping, given that they were staying in a large cabin-like house— she hadn't even considered the possibility of having to share a space with her best friend's older brother. The last she had heard he was dating a woman named Echo, so she had assumed they'd be coming together and would share a room. She hadn't given much thought to who she'd be sharing with, feeling comfortable enough with her friends that she figured she'd be fine with whomever she got paired with.

Unfortunately, she had forgotten to think about Bellamy.

She and Bellamy didn't have the best history. They had met during Octavia's first year in college. Due to an administrative mistake, first-year Octavia had been placed in a dorm with Clarke, who was Bellamy's age and in her third year.

They had gotten off to a bit of a rough start from the moment they met. Clarke's father had just died and she was rough and raw, ready to fight anyone about anything; thus, all it had taken was one stupid little comment from Bellamy for Clarke to return with a scathing remark. Clarke couldn't even recall what had been said that day, but it taken years for them to actually be in the same room as each other and not somehow start a fight.

Even though they fought a lot, they were still generally civil with each other. Unless something got them going, they considered each other as just someone they had to put up with because they had mutual friends and were always around each other.

That changed one night, on the anniversary of Clarke's father's death. She had shown up at Octavia's apartment, and Bellamy had been the one to answer. He was staying with her for a few weeks while work was being done on his own apartment. Octavia was on a date with Lincoln, something Clarke had completely forgot about, so it was just the two of them.

Bellamy had taken one look at her tear-stained face and her white-knuckled grip on her father's worn copies of the Star Wars movies, and had pulled her inside. Needing no explanation, he just let her cry on his shoulder, made her hot chocolate, and watched Star Wars with her until she fell asleep leaning against him.

After that night, Clarke had seen Bellamy in a different light. While before, all she had seen was his arrogance and the rough exterior he presented to the world, after that night she had taken a step back and actually looked at him. It was only then did she realize how much Bellamy cared. How much he cared about his sister, his friends, hell, even about her. He was a mother hen and took care of everyone around him. She knew that he was someone she could always count on- no matter the degree of friendship they shared. She also came to realize that he had a wonderful dry sense of humour, something she loved, was a giant nerd, and was painfully attractive, something that she had been trying to ignore. He was nothing like she had originally thought, and she enjoyed getting to know the real Bellamy.

The more Clarke got to know this Bellamy, the Bellamy you only saw if you actually paid attention, the deeper she fell. Until one day, she realized that she had passed the crushing stage long ago and now had very real feelings for him. She didn't think it was love, not yet, but it was something that absolutely had the potential to turn into love.

After the panic that that knowledge had resulted in, passed, Clarke had decided to do something about it. It was extremely possible that he wouldn't return her feelings; after all, she had never seen anything that led her to believe he felt the same way. However, at this point, that didn't matter. She just needed him to know how she felt and then he could decide what he wanted to do with that information.

A few weeks after her realization, she decided it was time. So, with what she was going to say running through her mind, Clarke marched herself over to his apartment, bouncing on her feet lightly as she waited for him to answer.

When he did, he smiled happily at her. "Hey, Clarke. I didn't know you were stopping by."

Clarke let out a shaky breath. "Y-yeah, umm, I have something to tell you. Okay, so, I realized that—" Clarke cut herself off when she caught a glimpse of a beautiful woman sitting on his couch, watching her curiously. The woman looked so at ease in Bellamy's apartment Clarke had no doubt she'd been over many times before.

Seeing where her gaze had landed, Bellamy introduced the woman. "Oh! Right, Clarke, this is Echo— my girlfriend." The woman, Echo, waved slightly, smiling at her kindly. She was very beautiful, Clarke could see why Bellamy was interested in her.

"We've only been dating for a few weeks and we decided not to tell the group yet. We wanted to keep to ourselves for the first little, so that's why I hadn't told you about her yet." Bellamy continued, oblivious to the look on Clarke's face. "We're almost ready to come out to the group but can you not say anything yet? O will kill me if I'm not the one to tell her." He finished, looking sheepish.

"Y-yeah, uh, of course, I won't tell her," Clarke stammered, her cheeks flushing bright red. She was too late. Bellamy was with someone else now. She'd missed her chance. "Um, I'll let you get back to it. I'll see you around, Bellamy. It was nice to meet you Echo," Clarke added, peering over Bellamy's shoulder to give the brunette an awkward wave.

"Nice to meet you too, Clarke," Echo replied, giving Clarke a sympathetic look, catching on to what Bellamy was oblivious to.

Clarke turned to go but Bellamy grabbed her arm gently. "Wait, you had something you wanted to tell me?"

"No, don't worry about it, it doesn't matter anymore," Clarke said, giving him a small, forced smile before leaving as fast as she could without looking like she was running away.

Clarke ignored Bellamy calling her name and, only once she was safe inside her car, did she let the tears fall.

xXxXxXx

Months had passed since then and Clarke hadn't seen Bellamy since that night. She was officially avoiding him. Thankfully, Octavia had been understanding, even if she didn't actually know the reason why Clarke was avoiding her brother. Nonetheless, she would text Clarke whenever Bellamy was set to be around and Clarke would find some excuse not to go.

And that had worked— for a while. She was getting more work done than ever before, to the point where she was pretty sure her boss was concerned given how readily he had given her the time off for the camping trip.

At first she hadn't wanted to go, but Octavia had made a very convincing case and Clarke realized that she couldn't let whatever was going on with her and Bellamy impact her friendship with the others. It had been worth it to see the look of happiness on O's face when she finally agreed to come.

Even though it had been weeks since Clarke had even caught a glimpse of Bellamy, she still wasn't sure she was ready to see him; not to mention, see s him and Echo being all couple-y. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she couldn't help the surge relief when Octavia had mentioned in passing that Echo wasn't coming on the trip. Clarke hadn't pressed for details but she was dying to know why the brunette wasn't coming.

Even though, logically, it didn't make sense to automatically assume that Echo wasn't coming because she and Bellamy had broken up— it was more likely she just couldn't get away from work for the weekend— Clarke couldn't help that small spark of hope.

"Come on, Clarke, please? It won't be that bad. I promise I'll talk to him and he'll be extra nice to you," Octavia pleaded, bringing Clarke back from her thoughts. "You'll only really have to be around each other when you sleep and that's it."

Clarke sighed. "Yeah, okay, O. We'll make it work."

Octavia squealed, throwing her arms around Clarke's neck and squeezing. Clarke laughed and hugged her back, pushing down the feeling of dread she couldn't get rid of when she thought about this trip, about seeing Bellamy.

xXxXxXx

Two days later, Clarke was standing in front of Lincoln's SUV, sunglasses on and bag in hand, sweating in the afternoon sun and ready for the drive up to the cabin. Lincoln's mom, Indra, had offered them the family cabin for the trip because, in her words, they needed to get away and have some goddamn fun for at least a weekend.

When they had first started planning the weekend away, it was only supposed to be Octavia, Lincoln, Bellamy, and Clarke. However, then the list had gotten a bit longer and soon enough, Miller, Monty, Jasper, Maya, Gina, and Raven were all set to attend. Hence why Clarke and Bellamy had been put together for the rooms- there were only five rooms and everyone else was already coupled up.

Even with the nerves she was feeling both at seeing Bellamy again and sharing a room with him, Clarke couldn't deny that she was otherwise excited about the trip. Work had been hectic, even with all the extra hours she was pulling, not to mention the emotional stress she'd been under, she needed a short getaway.

"All right, is everyone here?" Octavia called out, walking towards the car carefully, precarious balancing way too many bags in her hands.

Clarke was about to offer to help when Bellamy swooped in— surprising Clarke given she hadn't even heard him arrive— and announced his presence with a, "Jesus, O. What the hell is in here? We're only going away for a weekend."

Octavia rolled her eyes and turned her nose up at him. "I only packed the necessities, brother dear."

As the siblings began to bicker lightly, Clarke felt her chest constrict, taking in the familiar sight of Bellamy Blake.

He was wearing a simple tank top and shorts but he still looked stupidly attractive. Clarke had missed the sight of his unruly curls and dark eyes that always seemed to be sparkling, or, at least, they were whenever she looked at them.

Clarke shook herself from her thoughts as Bellamy put Octavia into a light headlock. "Alright, that's enough, children. Let's finish packing up." She called out.

Bellamy's head snapped up at the sound of her voice. His eyes met hers and her breath caught softly. Even from where she was standing, she could see the slight confusion and concern in his eyes, directed at her, and she knew it was because this was the first time he was seeing her in weeks. The most contact she had had with him were a few texts that she had ignored and a few glimpses of him when she hadn't left fast enough from the bar at their group's weekly get-togethers.

"Princess, hey," Bellamy said, hesitantly yet still oh so warmly, in a way that only he could. He came to stand next to her. "Haven't seen you around lately…" He trailed off, clearing his throat, trying to play it off but Clarke could sense the underlying current of hurt in his voice.

"Y-yeah, sorry, work's been crazy…" She replied, ducking her head because it was a weak excuse and she knew it. She and Bellamy had always been honest with each other, even when they didn't get along. Lying to each other was just something they never did. Until now. Until she had to go and catch feelings. She wasn't even technically lying to him, with her excuse, because work really had been crazy. She just wasn't telling him the whole truth, something she had always done with him.

"Oh, I see," Bellamy said bitterly, and when Clarke chanced a look at him, she could see the look of hurt and confusion on his stupidly beautiful face. He knew she was lying.

Bellamy opened his mouth to say more, probably to ask her why all of sudden she was avoiding him and acting aloof, but Octavia interrupted them, much to Clarke's relief.

"Okay!" O said, clapping her hands. "The car is all loaded up, and I just got a call from the others. Jasper rented a van for some reason, so he, Monty, Miller, and Maya are going to meet us up there. Raven's running late, there was a problem with their apartment, something electrical, I don't know, I didn't understand her explanation. Anyway, she and Gina are going to drive up later and will most likely be there in time for dinner. Which means that it's just the four of us for the next however many hours!"

And with that, they all piled into the car. Clarke was expecting to have to sit next to Bellamy in the back but Octavia climbed in beside her and Lincoln nodded at Bellamy to sit up front with him. Bellamy looked confused but shrugged and hopped in.

Octavia waited until they had settled onto the freeway before leaning over towards Clarke and whispering, "What's going on between you and Bellamy?"

Clarke's eyes widened and she looked to see if Bellamy had heard anything, but thankfully he and Lincoln were already deep in a conversation about something that had happened in the news lately, and with the music playing softly from the radio, not to mention the general noise from the freeway, Clarke figured she was safe.

"What are you talking about?" Clarke whispered back, still sending glances Bellamy's way to make sure he couldn't overhear them.

"I'm talking about why my brother was moping on my couch all last weekend about why ' _Clarke won't even be in the same fucking room as me and it's been months_ '. Did you guys have a fight or something?" Octavia asked, concern shining in her eyes for both her brother and her best friend. She remembered how it used to be between the two of them years ago and hoped something hadn't set them back.

"I just…," Clarke started, trying to string together her words correctly in a way that answered O's question without giving away her feelings for Bellamy. "I realized something and I just needed some space to clear my head. And honestly work _has_ been a nightmare lately. Plus, I figured he wouldn't really want to hang out that much anymore now that he has a girlfriend."

Octavia's brows drew together in confusion. "What girlfriend?"

Now it was Clarke's turn to be confused. "Echo."

"Oh, he didn't update you about that?" Octavia wondered, looking a bit lost. She opened her mouth to continue but suddenly closed her mouth and shook her head lightly. "Nevermind, I'll let him tell you; it's not for me to say."

"What?" Clarke asked. "O, can you please just tell me?"

"Sorry, Clarke, it's his news to share," Octavia said, looking at her best friend with sympathy. "Ask him about it tonight."

Clarke stared at Octavia, completely baffled. It had never been like O to stop herself form saying something just because what she was about to say wasn't her news. In fact, Octavia was her main source for info and gossip about the group. Clarke didn't know what it was, but Octavia had a knack for remembering things and knowing both what to say and not to say. So whatever gossip she did tell you, didn't harm the person it was about. It was more like Octavia would share things that were going to come out into the open anyway, so she took it upon herself to bring it out sooner.

Clarke was thinking of something else to say, something to get Octavia to spill, when Lincoln drew her into his and Bellamy's conversation. Clarke was left to her thoughts and decided to just let it be and ask Bellamy tonight.

She popped in her ear buds, found her favourite song, and turned up the volume. Within five minutes, Clarke dozed off against the window, the movement of the car lulling her to sleep.

xXxXxXx

"Wakey, wakey, Clarkey," Clarke heard as she roused from her nap. She took in her surroundings, realizing that the car wasn't moving anymore and Octavia was softly shaking her shoulder.

"Mmmhmm," Clarke mumbled, sitting up and yawning. "Are we at the cabin already?"

"We're more than halfway," Octavia replied, still speaking quietly. "We just stopped to get some dinner. Are you hungry?"

As soon as Octavia finished speaking, Clarke's stomach rumbled and she remembered that she hadn't really had lunch. She nodded and opened her door, tumbling out of the car, still clumsy from sleep.

"Well, well, well, sleeping beauty finally wakes," Bellamy teased, looking at her fondly. Clarke steadily ignored the warm feeling that look gave her.

Clarke yawned in reply, stretching deeply, sighing in satisfaction when her joints popped, tension leaving her body.

They locked up the car and made their way into the diner. They were seated pretty quickly and Clarke greedily sipped at the coffee the waitress brought over. The warmth of the coffee settling in her belly was soothing and as the caffeine kicked in, she felt herself waking up.

They ate in relative silence, quiet conversation here and there, but mainly everyone was too hungry to talk much. When Clarke checked the time on her phone, she realized they had been driving for about five hours. She had been asleep for a good amount of that but she could still feel the strain of sitting in one place for so long making her body sore.

After they had paid and made sure everyone had used the restroom, they walked back to the car. Octavia and Lincoln were looking at the map on O's phone, trying to figure out the most direct route to the cabin. They had originally hoped to be there before dark but given that the sun was already setting, that wasn't going to happen.

Clarke leaned against the car, soaking up the remnants of sun while trying to massage the kink in her neck.

"Need a hand?" Bellamy asked, making Clarke look over to where he was sitting on the sidewalk curb, flicking ash from his cigarette before taking a deep drag.

"No, I think I'm okay," Clarke replied, eyeing the cigarette in his hand. "You really shouldn't smoke. It's not good for you."

"I know," Bellamy replied, looking sheepish. "I'm trying to quit. I've cut down a lot, this is my one cigarette of the day."

Clarke sighed and walked over to where he was sitting, plopping down beside him. She snagged the cigarette from his hand, bringing it to her lips and inhaling.

When she handed it back, Bellamy was looking at her with his eyebrows raised. "I didn't know you smoked," He said, accepting the cigarette back.

"I don't usually, not anymore. I started after my dad died because it reminded me of the pipe he used to have. But now I've stopped for the most part and only have one every once in a while, usually when I'm stressed." Clarke explained softly, looking down at her hands.

Bellamy hummed understandingly. "I get it. I started after mom was locked up and I got custody of O. It's a shitty habit but it was the one luxury, or whatever, that I spent on myself," He admitted lowly, not looking at her.

Clarke leaned against him slightly, to show that she understood, and that was that. They didn't talk after that, just passed the cigarette back and fourth in comfortable silence.

When it was done, Bellamy stubbed it out and stood up, stretching, treating Clarke to the sight of a sliver of skin showing when Bellamy's shirt rode up. She allowed herself a quick glance before looking away.

When he was done stretching, Bellamy offered her a hand up. She accepted it and savoured the warmth of his rough palm against her softer one, so much bigger in comparison that it almost engulfed her hand. When Clarke didn't immediately let go when she was back on her feet, Bellamy looked down at their joined hands. Clarke looked too, mostly just to avoid looking into his eyes.

When she looked back up, Bellamy was looking at her with an intense gaze, his dark eyes searching hers. He opened his mouth to say something but was once again cut off by his sister as she announced that they had found their route.

Bellamy sighed, frustrated, and looked back down at Clarke. She reluctantly removed her hand from his, immediately missing his warmth, and made her way back to the car.

This time, however, it was Bellamy who joined her in the back, even though she had seen Octavia start towards the back. But Bellamy had given her a look and Octavia nodded, climbing into the front. She looked more content there, so Clarke didn't think it was a hardship there.

As soon as they were out of the parking lot and settled on the road, Lincoln took Octavia's hand in his, rubbing soft circles into her skin.

Clarke had to look away at the display of affection, trying to ignore the pang of want in her chest. She wanted that. She wanted it so badly and she wanted it with the dumbass sitting next to her.

Clarke tried to make herself comfortable but couldn't seem to relax like she had before and she knew exactly why. It was because the guy she was pretty sure she was in love with but who also had a girlfriend meaning there was nothing she could do, was sitting right beside her. At least, she thought he had a girlfriend. O's earlier comments hadn't left her; however, without her being one hundred percent sure that Bellamy was single, she wasn't going to make any kind of move. She had been cheated on before and it was horrible. She would never, ever, willingly or knowingly become part of something like that.

She settled for playing games on her phone, and, when that got boring, texting Raven. She and Gina had gotten on the road a couple hours ago and would hopefully be at the cabin before it got too, too late. And, since it was Gina driving, and Clarke knew exactly how she drove, she had no doubt they'd be there far faster than they had any right to be. Gina was a demon behind the wheel but Clarke had to give it to her that she was a very talented driver and even though she was fast, she was careful.

They were about an hour away from the cabin, according to Lincoln, when Clarke started to feel cold. The AC in the car was on full blast, and she wasn't going to say anything because she knew the Blake siblings both had to have cold air running through the car or they got nauseous. Lincoln was smart, and had brought a light sweater he had put on after they had stopped for dinner, knowing that without the afternoon sun, he was going to get cold.

Clarke, on the other hand, had had no such forethought.

She shivered slightly and cursed herself for wearing a tank top. Thankfully she was wearing leggings, so at least her legs weren't cold, but the same could not be said for her arms and chest.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Clarke noticed Bellamy look over at her when she shivered. Wordlessly, he reached behind them, fished around for a second, before finding what he was looking for. He had pulled out one of his hoodies and was handing it over to her.

"Thank you," Clarke said gratefully, perking up. Checking to make sure she was safe, she undid her seatbelt for a second so she could tug the soft yet thick fabric over her head. When she was done, she redid her seatbelt and sat back, letting Bellamy's scent wash over her and relax her, as the added layer warmed her up.

"No worries, Princess," Bellamy smirked, dark eyes roving over her appreciatively. Clarke couldn't place the exact look in his eyes but it sparked something deep in her belly and she felt herself flush. She broke his gaze, feeling her cheeks warm, and looked out the window, trying to pay attention to the sights flashing by.

But she couldn't make herself focus on what was going on outside. Not with the heady scent and comforting warmth of Bellamy's hoodie all around her. It was all she could think about. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine what it would be like to be wrapped up in his arms.

It was with that thought, that she fell into a light doze for the rest of the drive, occasionally nuzzling the collar of Bellamy's hoodie. With her eyes closed, Clarke had no way of noticing the way Bellamy looked at her, affection and longing clear in his eyes.

Octavia, on the other hand, could very clearly see her brother's expression in the rearview mirror. She promised herself that somehow, during this upcoming weekend, she would get them to work their shit out. She was rooting for them. Clarke deserved someone who looked at her the way Bellamy did. And Bellamy deserved someone who looked at him the way Clarke did. They would be so great together. Octavia had known that for years. All they needed was to get past whatever had happened, whatever fight they might have had, in the last few months and actually _talk_ to each other.

All Octavia wanted was for her brother to be happy. And she knew that whatever happy future Bellamy had, featured Clarke.

xXxXxXx

Once again, Clarke was awoken by someone softly shaking her shoulder. However, this time, the hand shaking her was much too big to be Octavia's. Clarke opened her eyes to the sight of Bellamy, close, and hovering over her.

"We're here, Princess. Come on, let's get you in the house. There's a real bed that'll be so much better for your neck inside," Bellamy coaxed.

Clarke yawned and smacked her lips together. She tried to force her eyes open and herself awake but she was so tired all the managed was to clumsily hold up her arms and mumble, "Carry me!"

For a moment, Bellamy looked unsure. But then he just decided to carry her since it looked like she wasn't going to get out by herself any time soon.

He undid her seatbelt and carefully gathered her in his arms. Bellamy's heart sped up as Clarke laid her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thanks, baby," Clarke mumbled sleepily, dozing against his shoulder as soon as she got settled, unaware of her use of the pet name. Bellamy, however, felt his heart squeeze at the name, imagining that her calling him that was something Clarke actually did.

"Anytime, Princess, anytime," Bellamy whispered back, even though she wasn't awake enough anymore to process anything he said.

Bellamy carried Clarke into the house, passing Octavia on the way, pausing to explain she'd fallen asleep when O looked at the blonde he was cradling to his chest questioningly. She simply nodded and gave him a smile before going back to help Lincoln with the rest of the bags while Bellamy got Clarke up to their room.

He hadn't had the forethought to ask Octavia which room was his and Clarke's, so he just picked the one with the largest window, knowing that Clarke adored natural light.

Gently, Bellamy set Clarke down on the bed, trying to ignore the adorable picture she made as she immediately curled up and snuggled down into the fluffy duvet. Since he hadn't been able to get her under the bedding, he scanned the room until he found a throw blanket to cover her with. He wiggled her shoes off and made sure her phone was out of her pocket and on the nightstand. He'd plug it in when he got their bags up to the room and found her charger.

He laid the blanket carefully over her and left the room to go help with the rest of settling into the house. He made sure to close the door on his way out so that any noise they made wouldn't travel as easily and wake her up.

Later that night, after they had gotten the necessities and food unpacked, and the rest of the gang had arrived, they called it a night and went to bed. Everyone would finish unpacking in the morning but right now, they were all exhausted.

Bellamy eased open the door to his and Clarke's room and stepped inside. Quietly, he got ready for bed and laid out some sleep clothes for Clarke in case she woke up and wanted to change. He plugged in their phones and turned off the lights.

When he climbed into bed, he noticed that Clarke had somehow wormed her way under the duvet, and he could feel the warmth of her even from where he was lying.

It was going to be a long night.

All he could hope for was that he didn't wake up with an… _embarrassing situation_ or having somehow spooned Clarke accidentally in his sleep. He would like to do that, yes, but only when she was awake to consent to it, thank you very much.

It was with all these thoughts muddling his brain and giving him a headache, that Bellamy fell asleep.

xXxXxXx

The sun was barely peaking out when Clarke roused from her sleep to the sound of gentle snoring and the feeling of a warm, strong body against her back. Bellamy's arm was wrapped around her stomach and their legs were tangled together. Clarke knew she should wake him up before things got awkward but she couldn't bring herself to move. She was just so warm and comfortable, and she hadn't slept so well in years.

So, she decided to let herself enjoy this, since this might just be the only chance she would get to have this, and let herself deal with the fallout later that morning. For now, though, she let herself fall back asleep, nuzzling back into the confines of Bellamy's strong arms.

xXxXxXx

The second time Clarke woke up, was to an empty bed and the sounds of her friends being obnoxiously loud downstairs. She glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand and groaned when it informed her it was only 9am.

She rolled over to Bellamy's side of the bed, inhaling his scent. His side was still warm, so Clarke knew he hadn't been gone for very long. She let herself have a few more minutes in bed before she forced herself to get up and into the shower.

Once she was showered and dressed, Clarke made her way downstairs to join her friends and she found them gathered in the kitchen. Bellamy and Lincoln were cooking while Octavia cut up some fruit, Jasper was gesturing wildly about something, sending Monty, Maya, Raven, and Gina into peals of laughter.

Seeing that there was one missing, Clarke looked around for Miller, spotting him laying on the couch, beanie jammed low over his face and dozing. Clarke chuckled, that man had never been a morning person and wasn't even really a person until he had at least two cups of coffee.

"Morning, Princess," Bellamy said lowly, smiling at her warmly. She hadn't even noticed him come up beside her as she was surveying her friends, who mostly hadn't noticed her yet.

"Morning, Bell," Clarke replied, just as low. It felt like a private, almost intimate, moment between them. Unfortunately, it was shattered the moment the others saw her.

A chorus of good morning's were shouted at her with varying degrees of volume. Clarke smiled fondly, rolling her eyes and wishing them a good morning as well.

She moved to sit in the open space between Monty and Jasper, and before Jasper sucked her into whatever he had been talking about before, Clarke caught a quick glimpse of Bellamy watching her, an unreadable look in his eyes and a small smile on his lips. He looked away when he noticed her looking but the image was burned into her mind and no amount of crazy stories from Jasper or Monty could get it to go away.

xXxXxXx

After they finished breakfast, the gang decided to spend the day at the lake. Everyone went to get their swimsuits and grab whatever else they needed.

But as Clarke dug through her suitcase, she realized she had forgotten to pack a bathing suit. She cursed herself because how the hell did that happen?! Swimming was an important part of spending a weekend at the lake and she had actually forgotten her bathing suit.

Clarke groaned as she trudged back down the stairs and into the kitchen where everyone who was ready were waiting.

As soon as she entered the room, Octavia picked up on her mood and paused her movements in loading food into a cooler. "What's wrong?"

Clarke hung her head slightly, embarrassed as everyone looked at her in concern. "Nothing, I just forgot to pack my bathing suit."

"Oooo, shit that sucks," Jasper said, pointing out the obvious and making Maya roll her eyes at her fondly at her boyfriend.

"Yup," Clarke replied, popping the p. "I guess I could go see if I could find a store in town that sells swimwear or something. Or I'll just not go swimming."

"You can't just not go swimming the entire weekend!" Octavia exclaimed. "You love swimming!"

"I know, O," Clarke pouted, flinging herself dramatically onto the couch, narrowly avoiding hitting Miller who had moved to the floor to continue his nap.

"Well," Gina started, biting her lip. "I brought a few extra if you want to borrow one, I'm just not sure if it'll fit, though. You're a lot more…gifted..in the chest area than I am," She said, looking at Clarke's chest and then at hers.

Clarke groaned, knowing that Gina had a point. "Thanks anyway, G."

"Guess you'll just have to skinny dip," Raven said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. "What?! It was just an idea," She exclaimed, pouting when Gina smacked her arm lightly.

"What's going on?" Bellamy asked as he entered the room to find everyone looking at Clarke with sympathy.

"Clarke forgot her swimsuit," Lincoln explained. Clarke moaned pitifully, still pouting.

Bellamy cocked his head to the side for a second before disappearing up the stairs for a few minutes, returning with a piece of black fabric.

"Here," Bellamy said, throwing it to Clarke. She sat up and realized she was holding one of her bathing suits. "You left it at my apartment the day we all went to the beach, like months ago. I've been meaning to give it back to you but I haven't seen you in a while so I packed it to give it back to you this weekend."

Clarke squealed, jumping up and throwing her arms around Bellamy's neck for a quick hug. For once she thanked her notorious forgetfulness. "Thanks, Bell!" She shouted as she ran up the stairs to get changed. She absolutely adored swimming and was glad she wasn't going to have to miss out on her favourite vacation activity.

She returned a few minutes later, looking significantly happier. "Alright autobots, rollout!"

Everyone groaned at her phrase except for Bellamy, who snickered fondly. "Nerd."

"You know it," Clarke replied, sending him a wink.

Everyone found something to carry before heading out towards the lake. It wasn't very far, maybe a five minute walk, but they had prepared a bunch of snacks and a lunch because they knew they weren't going to want to walk back to the house if they got hungry before they were finished down at the lake.

Clarke wasted no time once they got there, pausing only to drop what she was carrying before running out towards the water. Once she was deep enough, she dove under, relishing the way the water caressed her. It was slightly cold, still too early in the morning for the sun to have warmed it, but it was still wonderful. When she came up for air, she felt refreshed.

Clarke floated on her back for a little while, soaking up the sun as it started to get warmer, and enjoying the movement of the water. Well, that is until suddenly water was splashed on onto her face. She flinched back, coughing slightly as she accidentally swallowed some water. Thankfully it wasn't salt water.

When she recovered, she saw and heard Jasper laughing uproariously to himself and splashing the others, who had also made their way into the lake. Clarke splashed back and started a splash war. Everyone was splashing, laughing, and just generally acting like dumbasses. They loved it.

A little while later, after a truce had been called to end the splash war, Clarke finally noticed that Bellamy was nowhere to be seen. So she looked towards the shore and saw him lounging on one of the beach chairs, nose buried in a book.

She rolled her eyes fondly. Of course he would choose to read over going swimming. Nerd.

Clarke swam to shore and got out of the water, wringing water out of her hair as she walked towards where Bellamy was sitting.

"Good book?" She asked, collapsing next to him and reaching over to grab one of the water bottles from the cooler.

Bellamy startled, obviously not having heard her come up, too engrossed in his book. "Yeah. I meant to go swimming for a bit first but I'm getting close to the end and I really want to find out what happens," Bellamy explained sheepishly as Clarke took large gulps of her water.

"What's it about?" She asked once she had taken her fill of water. She handed him the bottle and Bellamy finished it before launching into an explanation of the book. Clarke got comfortable, lying on side, facing him, and watching his expressions as he talked about the characters, the plot, and what his theories and opinions were.

Clarke loved seeing him like this. Passionate Bellamy was one of her favourite Bellamy's, even though, let's be real, all Bellamy's were her favourite. But there was just something about him when he got into whatever he was talking about that just made her want to sit there forever and hang onto every word.

She listened intently, asking questions and adding her two cents in every once in a while. Before she knew it, they had been talking for over an hour and Octavia was marching towards them.

"Come on, guys! You can talk about books another time! Come and enjoy the water," She exclaimed.

Both Clarke and Bellamy flushed slightly, having forgotten where they were as they got lost in their conversation.

"Alright, O. We're coming, we're coming," Bellamy relented, making Octavia nod smugly and turn around to make her way back into the lake. Bellamy stood up and dusted off his swim trunks and pulling off his shirt, before reaching a hand out to help Clarke up.

They walked towards the water together and it wasn't until they were almost near their friends that Clarke realized Bellamy hadn't let go of her hand.

xXxXxXx

Hours later, everyone was getting really hungry. The sun was starting to go down so they decided to wrap it up and go inside. They worked together to get dinner ready and, after a rambunctious meal, Jasper and Monty got to work on getting a campfire going in the fire pit that way just a little ways away from the house.

Clarke and Octavia were piling s'mores stuff onto a tray to take outside while everyone else got blankets and pillows to sit on around the fire.

At the last minute, Clarke decided to run up and get a sweater. When she returned, the only spot left open was next to Bellamy. She hesitated for only a moment before plopping down next to him.

"Is that my hoodie?" Bellamy asked, looking at her with those goddamn dark eyes, with an expression Clarke wasn't actually sure she was seeing correctly.

"Shit, yeah, sorry I just grabbed the first one I saw. I can go get another one if you want," Clarke replied, feeling guilty because she had actually purposely worn this one even though she had packed a few of her own. It's not her fault that this one was so much bigger and cozier and smelt like him.

"No, it's okay," Bellamy assured her, still with that dark look in his eyes. His eyes flicked up and down her body, pausing on where "Blake" was scrawled in bold letters across her chest— undoubtedly her favourite part of the hoodie— before settling on her face again. "Keep it. It looks better on you anyway."

Clarke felt her cheeks grow hot and she had to tamp down on the smile that wanted to break free. She had to keep reminding herself that he was most likely still with someone else. Thankfully, she didn't have to think about it any more because Jasper was shoving a s'mores at her and Monty had convinced Miller to break out his guitar, something Clarke hadn't even realized he'd brought, and play them some songs.

For the next two hours, Clarke sat close to Bellamy and enjoyed the sight of her friends making assess of themselves trying to sing campfire songs purposely off-key.

Slowly but surely, Clarke felt herself start to get sleep and eventually, she was leaning heavily on Bellamy's side, feeling a wave of exhausted hit her. It had been a long day; a wonderful day, but a long one.

To his credit, Bellamy didn't even blink as her head hit his shoulder, he just shifted and wrapped his arm around her, letting her doze peacefully until everyone was ready to head inside and go to bed.

Once again, Bellamy found himself carrying a sleepy Clarke up to their room while trying to ignore just how right it felt to have her snuggled against his chest. He laid her down on the bed, getting her settled, before grabbing a towel and heading to the on-suite bathroom to shower.

While Bellamy was showering, Clarke woke up. She sat up and stretched, yawning deeply as she realized she had only been asleep for maybe an hour, max. Since she was up, she figured she should change into something more comfortable to sleep in.

She grabbed a pair of boy shorts and a t-shirt from her suitcase and got undressed, figuring that since Bellamy was in the shower she didn't have to find somewhere else to change. She slipped on the shorts but when she went to put on the shirt, she decided to forgo it in favour of putting back on Bellamy's hoodie, sans anything underneath. Clarke knew she was toying with the line of what was okay and what wasn't, but she couldn't quite help herself.

Clarke shoved her clothes in her bag and sat down on the chair in front of the small vanity in the corner of the room. She undid the braid she'd put her hair into after she showered when they came back from the lake. Carefully combing her hair, she felt herself relax with each pass of the brush.

Hearing the water shut off and Bellamy getting out of the shower, Clarke put down the comb and tied her hair up in a loose bun.

She had just climbed back into bed when the door to the bathroom opened and Bellamy stepped out, looking somewhat surprised to see her sitting there, awake, waiting for him to get back.

"Hey," Clarke whispered, feeling like if she spoke any louder, whatever moment this was, would pass.

"Hey, back," He replied, just as quietly. Already dressed in sleep pants, Bellamy hung up his towel and climbed into bed beside her, turning off the beside lamp before settling in.

Clarke laid down on her back and closed her eyes. She was interrupted a minute later by Bellamy sighing heavily.

She rolled over onto her side, so she was facing him and asked, "What's wrong?"

Bellamy was laying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. "I need to ask you something and I need you to be honest with me."

Clarke felt a knot of unease in the pit of her stomach but answered anyway. "Okay, I will. I promise. What's up?"

Bellamy sighed again, less heavy this time, before he turned his head towards her. "Why have you been avoiding me for the last few months?" He finally asked, hurt clear in his eyes. Before she could even open her mouth, he quickly added, "And don't say that you haven't been. I know you have. Did I do something? Please, if I did something, tell me so I can fix it. I miss you."

Clarke squeezed her eyes closed, fighting back tears. She had never wanted to hurt him- in fact, that was the last thing she wanted to do, ever. She knew it was time to come clean. She'd have to just deal with whatever aftermath there was. Hopefully, he wouldn't be completely disgusted and kick her out of the room.

"Do you remember the day I came to your apartment and Echo was there?" Clarke asked, barely audible, swallowing around the lump in her throat. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him nod. "Well, the reason I was— uh, — the thing I wanted to tell you was that I have feelings for you."

A shocked silence followed her admission and Clarke felt her heart speed up, dread settling in her belly.

"I know that you probably don't feel the same way and that you have a girlfriend. I understand and respect that. Trust me, I'm not going to, or trying to, do anything to get in the middle of that. Above all else, I want you to be happy and if Echo makes you happy, then I'm glad. I just needed some time to get my head together before I could be around you guys being all couple-y. And I know that that's not fair to you, I really am sorry for avoiding you, I just figured it was the safest thing to do." Clarke held her breath as she cut herself off from rambling. Bellamy still hadn't said anything and Clarke was truly beginning to worry that she had just fucked up the best friendship she'd ever had.

All the worst case scenarios of what Bellamy would say when he spoke flew through her mind and she had to clamp down on the panic that slammed into her.

"Clarke," Bellamy whispered after another beat of silence but Clarke had rolled back onto her back and was steadily staring at the ceiling, her vision blurring from the tears in her eyes. "Hey, Clarke, look at me."

But she couldn't make herself look. The weight of the situation was weighting on her, making her chest feel tight. The silence between them grew thick before she heard Bellamy huff. Clarke felt him move and then he was hovering above her, one big, warm hand coming up to cup her cheek sweetly.

"Look at me, Princess," Bellamy repeated. He rubbed soothing circles on her cheek with his thumb and Clarke was finally able to make eye contact. When she did, her breath caught at the emotion shining in his eyes. She prayed to whoever was listening that she was reading the look in his eyes correctly.

"I broke up with Echo more than a month ago," Bellamy admitted. "I was going to tell you, I wasn't keeping it from you or anything, but work got busy and you've been avoiding me so I wasn't seeing you even when I wasn't busy."

Clarke swallowed roughly and her heart sparked with hope. "Why did you guys break up?" She asked breathlessly, allowing herself now to lean into the palm of his hand.

"She actually broke up with me. She said there was no point in dating someone who was utterly in love with his best friend," Bellamy said, watching her and waiting for his words to sink in.

But Clarke's brows drew together in confusion. "You're in love with Miller?" She asked, ignoring the ache in her chest. Monty wasn't going to be happy about this.

Bellamy shook his head and rolled his eyes fondly. "No, silly, I'm in love with you. Have been for a while. I just didn't realize it until Echo pointed it out."

Clarke's lips formed an 'o' as understanding finally dawned on her. There was a beat of stillness before Clarke surged up, capturing Bellamy's lips with hers. He responded immediately, taking control of the kiss and deepening it. He kissed her urgently, yet with every bit of softness that she'd imagined.

When Clarke finally broke away, needing to breathe, her face was flushed and her fingers tangled in Bellamy's hair, which she didn't remember doing. "Are you sure about this?" She asked, searching his eyes. "Because if we do this, I'm all in. I need you to know that."

"Yeah, baby, I'm sure. You're it for me," Bellamy said, pressing a gentle, loving kiss to her lips.

"Good." She breathed happily, before flipping them over so she was on top.

They didn't talk much after that.

xXxXxXx

The next morning, when Clarke and Bellamy came downstairs, they were met with knowing looks and teasing hollers. Clarke blushed but Bellamy just looked proud.

Clarke was glad she had agreed to come on this trip because it had given her the chance to finally get everything she'd ever wanted: Bellamy Blake.

* * *

 **I hope y'all enjoyed! Let me know what you think :)**


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